The I.S.P. Certification includes a number of different routes to Certification, each representing a different background by which an IT professional may have reached I.S.P. level. The routes include:
Education Plus Experience Route:
An IT related University or College degree/diploma is required for this application route.
The following lists the required years of IT professional based on your IT University/College education. To determine if your program was Accredited by CIPS please visit: cips.ca/accredited*.
| Post-Secondary Education Plus Experience Routes: | ||||
| Education | Minimum Years of IT Experience | |||
| A) | i. |
Accredited * 4-year University Degree (Computer Science, Software Engineering, MIS, BTM) |
2 | |
| ii. |
Accredited * 3-year University |
3 | ||
| iii. |
Accredited 4-year University (Interdisciplinary programs) |
7 | ||
| B) | i. |
Non-accredited 4-year University Degree (Computer Science, Software Engineering, M.I.S., BTM) |
4 | |
| ii. |
Non-accredited 3 year University Degree (Computer Science, Software Engineering, M.I.S.. BTM) |
5 | ||
| C) | i. |
Accredited 3-year College/Technical Program |
4 | |
| ii. |
Accredited 2-year College/Technical Program |
5 | ||
| iii. |
Non-accredited 3-year Public/Private College/Technical Program** |
6 | ||
| iv. |
Non-accredited 2-year College/Technical Program |
7 | ||
| D) |
Accredited one-year post-graduate I.T. program |
7 | ||
Exam Route:
| Education | Minimum Years of IT Experience | ||
| E) | i. | ICCP Examinations | 5 |
| E) | ii. | British Computer Society (BCS) Diploma Level Exams | 5 |
| E) | iii. | British Computer Society (BCS) Professional Graduate Level Exams | 4 |
I.T. Leader Route:
F) i. – This route is only for applicants who hold a non-IT university degree, but possess the required experience to practice in the field.
Demonstration of an established career in IT (generally not less than 12 years) and a proven management achievement over a period of not less than four years in a senior management position. Responsible for IT strategies, resources, and operations at the organizational level.
Established Academic Route:
F) ii. – This Established Academic Route is available to professionals who:
- have a full-time academic position in a Computer Science (CS) department or in an Management Information Systems (MIS) department at a Canadian University or equivalent and are ranked at least Associate Professor, or are eligible to hold this rank; and
- are established in their field, both as a teacher and as a researcher, and will have contributed some service to their discipline and or profession.
Established IT Professional – Demonstrated Equivalency Route:
F) iii. – Demonstration of appropriate mastery of the CIPS Body of Knowledge.
Experience Only Route (must have entered the field prior to 1976):
G) Professional experience route – must have entered the field prior to 1976. At least 12 years of IT experience is required.
* Applicants who have graduated from an accredited computing program recognized under the Seoul Accord will be assessed as being equivalent to applicants from CIPS accredited undergraduate computing programs.
**Program from privately funded educational institutions need to meet the following minimum criteria:
- Only Canadian baccalaureate degrees will be considered.
- The baccalaureate degree needs to have received official provincial/territorial government accreditation involving an institutional accreditation, which refers to the process of officially recognizing the post-secondary institution, and a program specific review, which refers to the official recognition of a program of study.
- The baccalaureate program needs to be a minimum of 3 academic years in length (or equivalent to six full course load terms)
- The C.I.S./C.I.T. specific course content of a program needs to be a minimum of 60% over three academic years.
- Transfer credits must be from an educational institution that has comparable or mutually acceptable standards and requirements.